Ice Princess
by TheSkyIsOurPointOfView
Summary: "Guarding your heart is the best option if you want to keep it in tact - especially if the guy is probably going to end up killing you." Lila Odair, niece of Finnick Odair, is thrust into The 74th Hunger Games when nobody volunteers for her at the reaping. She may not be trained for this, but she's going to try to win anyway. The problem is, she keeps getting distracted.
1. Chapter 1

**I've looked through basically every fanfiction that has to do with Cato (I may or may not be obsessed with him), and I realized that there really aren't very many fics with Cato/OC. This will be entirely in my OC's POV unless it says otherwise.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Lila and my other original characters. If I were Suzanne Collins, I'd be out partying with the cast, rolling around in my money and would actually have an idea of who Finnick is, but I'm not. *sigh* **

* * *

I wake up with the sound of an alarm blaring into my right ear. I turn over lazily to turn it off and realize that it's already 1:30. On any normal day I might have just decided to roll back over and just sleep for the rest of the already half way over day, but then I remember that today is the reaping.

_Great._

Here in District 4, it's customary for volunteers to go into the games. It happens more often in One and Two, but it's still common here. The Training Academy decides who is going to be volunteering each year. I've worked there for about 2 years now. My Mom died when I was 14, so after a few months of nearly starving I stumbled upon an application for a secretary job in the window of a nearby pool supply shop.

It's not much, but they feed me and gave me a small room to live in. Well, it is kind of more like a supply closet, but it gets the job done.

I decide to curl my hair and wear my purple dress. It goes just past my knees and is embellished with small rhinestones around the neckline. My mom bought it for me before she died.

Nobody knows how she died, but I have suspicions. My mother was the capitol-favorite victor, Finnick Odair's, sister. She never told me much about my Uncle Finnick. They stopped talking 3 or 4 years before I was born. I doubt he even knows I exsist. Nobody really knows that I exsist. I guess it's just a curse of being poor and a bit socially awkward.

I look at myself in the mirror and adjust my dress until I'm pleased. My usual brown, stringy, straight hair falls just below my ribs in loose curls, while my tan face and body contrast nicely with the lilac colored dress. I may not be the prettiest girl in the district, but I guess I'm not bad either. Mom used to tell me that I had gotten a lot of the same genes that Finnick got from our family. Either that means I'm really attractive, or I look like a guy.

I'll go with the latter.

I sigh and walk out my door and past the eerily silent weapon room. Then, I start making my way to the square where the reapings are held. Once I reach it, I find the sign in sheet and check the small box next to the name "Lila Odair" then head towards the sixteen year olds' section enough, our usual escort, Katherine Pendergraft, hops onto the stage and introduces the annoying video that I could recite in my sleep easily while I space out. You'd think that being rich and all, the capitol could come up with something a little more original. I mean, it is basically something a five year old could come up with. No matter how much you glamorize it though, the games are filled with blood and screams. I've never been a fan of either.

One time I got hit in the nose by a girl named Natalie back in the seventh grade because her boyfriend had tried flirting with me. A few hours later, I had been washing my face and I guess I bumped my nose wrong because I looked down to find the white washcloth soaked red, looked up into the mirror and dropped to the floor right there.

Natalie was always kind of a bitch. Everytime she walks by my desk at the Acadamy she mutters insults under her breath or just sends me death glares. From the whispers I've heard, she's the selected tribute for this year. _Good_, I think without remorse. Normally, I'd curse myself for thinking that, but as I said earlier, Natalie is a bitch. I don't get why she still hates me, but whatever. To each their own, right?

I snap out of my thoughts to hear Katherine preparing to call the boy tribute, but before she can read the name, a hand shoots up in the air and you can hear the words "I volunteer" blast through the square. I turn to see Riley, the 18 year old captain of the basketball team, rush up to the stage.

"Well, what do we have here? A volunteer? Congratulations…."

"Riley. Riley Daniels," he spits out cockily.

He thinks he's good. I've seen him in training though. To be honest, I'm not sure why they picked him. Sure, he's decent looking, but a pretty face can only get you so far in the games. "Alright. Girls, are you ready?" Katherine yells into the mic which causes an eruption of squeals from the girls. I roll my eyes and turn towards the stage in just enough time to hear what I think are my two least favorite words to ever come out of that annoying, odd looking capitol citizen's mouth.

"Lila Odair!"

It takes a moment to regester that it is actually my name. I turn to start walking up to the stage slowly, waiting for Natalie to screech that age volunteers when I lock eyes with the girl herself. That's when I get it.

She's not planning on volunteering. That _bitch._

I can feel my hands start to shake slightly out of either fear or anger, but stop them quickly because I'm very aware of all the cameras watching on my every move. Up on the stage, Katherine tells Riley and me to shake hands with one another and we are quickly ushered into the Justice Building where we are supposed to say goodbye to our loved ones.

I already know that nobody is coming to visit me when they show me my room. I ask the peacekeeper if he could get me some water for the hour long wait while I'm sure Riley has a line of people waiting to see him that reaches the other side of Panem. I never get the water though as my thoughts bore me quickly and I fall asleep on the small leather couch.

My last thoughts before I fall asleep are ones I never planned on ever crossing my mind -

_I'm going into the Hunger Games._

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think! It's my first fic that I'm putting on this site, so hopefully it's not too bad. Cato should be introduced within the next couple of chapters. Just so you guys know, this isn't going to be one of those stories where they meet and two days later they're sleeping together. Those stories get on my nerves. Anyway, please review. (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2! This one is a bit longer. She sees Cato in this one, but there should be more interaction in upcoming chapters. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own this. Suzanne Collins does. Suprise there, right?**

* * *

Next time I wake up, I don't quite understand anything. I don't even know where I am. Whatever bed this is, it's comfortable. I look around to see some sort of wooden furniture with a large mirror in the middle. I stand up to look in it and see my reflection. That's right; I'm a tribute. The question is, where am I?

Katherine decides to barge in the room to tell me that I missed Dinner and adds that we should be arriving in the Capitol soon. Then, she scolds me for sleeping so much starts rambling on about how I need to be on a sleeping schedule so I don't keep them up every night. I like sleep. The only reason that I may not be able to sleep is because I have some sort of an anxiety disorder. Thankfully, nobody has ever seen me in the middle of an anxiety attack except for my mother.

After her rant, Katherine leaves the room and I decide to look around a bit. I find myself wondering into the bathroom. The white and polished room is rather small compared to the Acadamy's, I note. I guess this one is just for me, though. Bobblehead had mentioned that we were nearing the Capitol, which means that soon I'll be in the hands of a stylist. I hope they don't dress me in one of those ridiculous fishnet costumes like they did to Finnick. I suppose that would be quite an attention grabber, but it would mainly just look ridiculous.

I turn back into my room and find a big screen of some sort. It resembles a television, but it's flat. I look around and find a remote so I can turn it on. The screen is a lot brighter than any T.V. I have seen. Soon, the picture pops up and I can recognize the Game's announcers Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith. They're showing the recap of the reaping. As much as I hate the idea, I decide that it wouldn't be a bad idea to size up the competition.

First up is District One. They show the boy, Marvel, getting reaped. He didn't volunteer, but he looks as if he's been trained. He doesn't look to surprised, but he still walks a bit stiffly to the stage. His district partner, Glimmer something or other, volunteers much like Riley did. I'm not sure why she did, she looks like your usual priss who would cry is she broke a nail. Sometimes looks are deceiving, but anyone named Glimmer shouldn't be that much of a threat.

After they finish talking about One, is the reaping of Two. They call the girl first this time. She's small and looks like she's about twelve. I'm about to get really pissed at the capitol when they announce that she volunteered and she's only thirteen. If she's only thirteen and volunteered, she'll be a threat. The bloodlust in her eyes is easily noticeable. I learn her name is Clove. Then, their escort pulls out the tribute boy's name. Again, before she can read it, you can hear a person volunteering. The croud parts like the Red Sea and a tall blonde boy walks to the stage. He's definitely trained. Everything about him seems trained. He also seems very arrogant, however. Arrogance in the arena could easily get you killed. He announces his name is Cato with a highly cocky grin.

Up next is District 3. Neither of them are volunteers and they look to be about sixteen. I can barely see the girl's bottom lip start to quiver before she stops it. I respect her for that. Staying strong can be hard if you're pretty sure you're going to die. I would know.

Next, they show my reaping. I ignore Riley's volunteering, but pay close attention as the screen shows Katherine calling my name. In the background, you can hear Caesar and Claudius questioning my last name. Of course, they'd catch onto that. Then they start putting two and two together and commenting on my looks. They're comparing every little aspect of me to Finnick already. I notice that I can't see my hands shaking from earlier, so at least there is a plus. I look strong. My head is held high, but I can't help but giggle a bit when I see my glare at Natalie. I hope she rots in hell. Maybe if I'm lucky, she'll get into some sort of accident while I'm gone.

I don't get to watch much more of the reapings before my door is being pounded on. I open the door to see the one and only Finnick Odair standing on the other side. He looks pretty flustered and I try to hold in a laugh, but fail with a small snort. _Way to go, Lila. _"Um, hi? Can I help you? You're Finnick, right?" I say as I try to cooly hold my hand out. He pushes it away and retorts with an accusing, "I think you know exactly who I am." "What are you trying to say?"

"Who are you and how are we," he points between me and himself, "related?" I decide that since he'll probably be mentoring me, I should tell him the truth. I sigh and state, "You're my uncle, I guess. Mom never told me much about you. She said that you guys really didn't talk much after your games. I don't real –" I try to continue but I'm cut off. "Wait. You're Kendra's daughter?"

"Yup," I say as I pop the 'p'

"Didn't she –," he starts to say but now it's my turn to cut him off before he can talk about my mother's death and I end up in tears.

"Yeah. Two years ago. Nobody knows what happened. It's just 'I'm so sorry for your loss.' 'Let me know if I can do anything for you.'," I say with airquotes, "While it was nice for the sympathy, it passed after about a week. Everything was empty promises, I guess," I finish quietly saying it more to myself than to Finnick.

Before I know what's going on, I'm being pulled into a hug. I wasn't expecting it, but I return the gesture almost immediately. It's a bit awkward. Not hugging anybody in two years can make you a bit rusty, I suppose. I'm the first to pull back, but he tells me how he's going to do his best to get me out of the arena and how once I'm safe, we'll sort everything out.

He's surprisingly nice for someone who looks so self-absorbed every time I see him. _I judged before I got to know a person again. Stupid girl_, I think with a small sigh. Sometimes I'm grateful for the little voice in my head; it makes me feel not as lonely as I probably should. Other times, I just want it to go away and let me try to think for myself. You can't learn from your mistakes if your head is yelling at you 24/7 not to make them.

He leaves me with a kiss on the forehead and I turn back to the screen just in time to see the reaping in Eleven. I notice that the boy tribute, Thresh, is already on stage. He's huge – nearly the size of Cato. However, he seems less than ecstatic to be there. I notice him stiffen when their escort calls the girl tribute's name. It's someone named Rue. I look around the screen and realize, to my horror, that it's a little girl. This has to be her first reaping. She looks absolutely terrified and I'm sure that I'm not the only one who notices the tears streaming freely down her dark cheeks. I hope I'm not the only tribute whose heart breaks at that moment, too.

My mind is still on little Rue when they switch to the District 12 reaping. I don't pay much attention, but I learn that the guy's name is Rye and the girl's name is Elena. I don't even have to look to know that they aren't trained; Tributes from twelve never are. I decide to go back to sleep before I start crying over, well, everything. I could cry over my silly life, the fact that it will most likely be over soon, how it will end, or there's always just thinking about poor little Rue. Once that thought crosses my mind, the thought of not crying seems to be thrown out the window and I find myself sobbing into my pillow before I drift back to sleep.

* * *

I wake up around 5:30 in the morning from an almost comforting, usual nightmare. Almost every night for as long as I can remember, I've had nightmares of different ways to die. I thought if anything I'd dream of the arena last night, but instead my weird brain decided to have me think up something where I was having fun in a hovercraft, jump out of it somehow, and end up safely on the street. Then, I had bent over to pick up a gold coin I found and a car pulled up and some lady shot me. The end.

It was actually a nice dream compared to other ones. At least this time it was a short, quick death. Over the years, I think the only other one that ended that fast was when I had my head chopped off with an axe in our basement back in Four. I think I was about 4 then. Seeing violence on the television frequently can really mess with a kid's head.

My thoughts are interrupted when Katherine once again bursts into my room – without knocking, I might add – to tell me that we've arrived in the capitol and I would meet my stylist shortly. I look down and notice that I'm still in my reaping dress, but I could care less as I follow my stomach into the dining room where I find a nice, hot tray of cinnamon rolls.

_God bless this hellhole._

I'm on my seventh roll when Katherine, Finnick, Riley and some other chick walk into the room. Finnick eyes the tray questioningly and I respond with, "What, I was hungry, okay?" but it ends up sounding like mumbles because I forgot that I still had food in my mouth. Believe it or not, I actually have manners, but if food is put in front of me, I'll eat it. Nobody understands why I'm so skinny seeing as I eat fatty foods like a pig whenever I'm around them. I blame it on either my metabolism or me being a vegetarian. I have never been a fan of eating anything that once had a face. I feel bad whenever I even walk by the meat station at the Acadamy.

I find out that the random woman standing with Finnick is the other mentor that is assigned for my district, Talia. We greet each other and I try to remember her. She won the 72nd games, which is probably why I don't remember with it being around when my mom died and all. She's only 18, so it gives me hope to know that she was my age when she won. I think I might actually like her. I'd much rather hang out with Talia that Katherine or Riley even.

Soon though, I'm being pushed out the train and into the building where my stylist will _make me look pretty_, as Katherine said. They all break apart and I am pushed into a room with three odd looking women. I don't bother learning their names because I doubt I'll be friends with people who are circling me much like a lion stalks its prey. They tell me to, and I quote, strip and lie down on the table.

_So, are they trying to make me look decent or am I getting raped? _I try to think, humorlessly.

I feel something warm running down my leg and I'm hopeful that my nerves didn't make me pee on myself, but I'm soon corrected when I hear a ripping sound and pain shooting up through my entire leg. I've shaved my legs before, but nothing like this. If this is pre games, just kill me now. I'm not sure how long this takes, but soon I'm being sat up and they practically smother me in lotion. They fix my eyebrows while someone paints my toenails a shiny blue color.

After the the spa like part of the session finishes, they leave and I come face to face with a woman who I infer to be my stylist.

* * *

**I have a feeling that I'm going to have Lila be a very sarcastic character. Sorry about not having Peeta or Katniss in this, but I put in someone named Rye. Think of him as Peeta's brother. I wouldn't be able to kill them. I put Rue in there though, so there can be your tearjerker eventually.**

**Here's a fun fact: I have nightmares where I die almost everynight. The axe dream and the one where she took a coin off the side of the road and got shot are both real. I've had dreams where I'm going to a Taylor Swift concert (love her), my shoe falls off, I bend over to get in and end up getting my throat slit by some random guy. Whoops.**

**Please review. Constructive critisism, suggetions on where to take the story, certain parts to put into the story, anything really. It's always welcome. (:**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm updating already? Oh wow, it looks like I don't have a life! Trust me, I don't. Ha. I've had quite a few of these chapters done for a while though because I wanted to figure out where I was taking this story. There's actually quite a bit of interaction with Cato in this chapter. (;**

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Colins owns this still. Nothing has changed. I still have no money to roll around in or a cast to party with. Also, what the hell is going on with the Finnick casting?! Ugh.**

* * *

"Hello," the woman, who looks to be about twenty, sticks out her hand to me, "You must be Lila. I'm Rebecca, your stylist. You can call me Becca if you want." I stick out my hand to shake hers when I remember that I'm just sitting in a towel on a table. I silently thank whoever gave me a female stylist because I would be feeling extremely awkward otherwise. She seems nice though, so I decide that Becca is fine.

She pulls me in front of the full length mirror and starts explaining her_ vision_ for this Tribute Parade. It actually doesn't sound bad. I'm kind of excited. She says that she and Riley's stylist came up with the idea of focusing on the water of our district instead of the fishing. I ask her what she's thinking but she playfully shushes me and tells me that it's a surprise. Then she gets out what I assume is the Capitol's version of a curling iron and gets to work.

Within thirty minutes I have my hair put into up into some sort of elaborate bun. She tells me to close my eyes so she can do my makeup and afterwards comes out with a dress. She tells me to keep my eyes closed as she slips it over my head. I'm getting ready to open them when she scolds me to give her moment and stop being so impatient. I roll my eyes and laugh slightly. That's when I start feeling slight pressure on the top of my head.

I hear a higher pitched squeal out of Becca's mouth before she says, "Alright, I think you're going to love this. Open your eyes!" When I do, I'm actually shocked. The girl in the mirror still resembles me, but she looks amazing and mezmorizing. I look down at my dress first. It's a baby blue color with a sheer fabric over it that makes it look like it's shimmering, especially down where it ends. It trails behind me by about a foot. The neckline is lower than I'm used to, but isn't entirely revealing. My eyes stop on my head where I see a tiara on top of my head with a crystal in the middle.

"You look absolutely gorgeous - stunning, even. I knew that you were related to Finnick, but wow!" Becca says excitedly. Normally, I'd be extremely annoyed by a girl like her, but I can't help but like her. She seems to actually be more into this than the past stylists and for that, I'm grateful.

She waits for me to finish admiring my new look in the mirror before ushering me towards where they keep the chariots. I spot Riley standing by our chariot. He's dressed in more of a tropical looking outfit, and I'm not sure exactly what his stylist was thinking. His suit bottoms have a pattern on them resembling swim shorts and the shirt is a plain white shirt with small patterns here and there. The idea that maybe they were going to make the male tribute shirtless, but had to change the entire plan when they found that Rileys abs were slightly nonexistent crosses my mind. I can't help but smirk at the thought.

I jump onto the chariot before having to make any kind of contact with Riley. I silently thank Becca for letting me wear flats. I'm actually surprisingly stable when walking in heels, but I figured since the dress is longer anyway, I'd prefer to skip the blisters. Suddenly, the chariot starts moving and the huge doors I hadn't even noticed were there open to reveal a huge group of cheering people. How can they be so happy about seeing up being sent to our deaths? It's sick.

When our chariot is in sight, they erupt in screams. At first Riley seems to think they're for him, and I do too. That is, until their screams start to sound like they're saying Lila. I can hear some of the closer ones mumble things like "Ohh, she looks like an ice queen." And "Oh my gosh, she's like a princess."

That's when it all clicks. Our stylists were trying to resemble the tropical form of water with Riley and the ice form with myself.

It's actually a pretty clever idea. Becca did a lot of a better job with it than Riley's stylist, however. My thoughts stop along with the screams when we come to a stop in front of the one and only President Snow. How I wish I had a weapon right now.

_No, you idiot. Attempted murder on a President? You've lost your mind._

I silently agree with the voice. I never said I couldn't fantasize about it though. So I tune his words out while I come up with a thousand different ways I could kill him. I'd make each way being more painfully than the last. Thankfully, the speech is over quickly and our chariots turn to go back inside.

Once I get off, I'm nearly trampled by Talia and Finnick telling me how wonderful I was. Apparently, my face looked as cold and unforgiving as my new nickname, "Ice Princess", suggested. I don't tell them what was going through my head, but they seem genuinely impressed. I see Finnick glance behind me discreetly. I notice, though, and turn around. There, I meet with the cold eyes of the District Two tributes. My eyes glance at the girl, who I recognize as Clove, first. If looks could kill, I'd be on the floor within a second. Then, I move my gaze to her partner, Cato. He looks pissed. Maybe not as pissed as Clove, but still pissed nonetheless.

I start to laugh at the difference in their height, ignoring the glares. She seems to be barely reaching five foot. I'm surprised that I finally found someone shorter than my 5'4 height. Cato, on the other hand, he's practically a giant. My head would probably reach about to the top of his chest, and even that's pushing it. Their faces had hardened at me laughing, but I get my head back together to notice Cato smirking. Oh god. He probably thought I was checking him out.

I wouldn't need a mirror to know that I was blushing. It's a really bad habit. I don't know why I am, though. I mean, sure, he's attractive. Okay, really attractive –

_Don't distract yourself. These are the games. No time for silly crushes._

Anyway, the point here is that I don't even know him. I'm the one who breaks the eye contact first so I can go up to the elevator.

* * *

The next morning, I'm awakened by Katherine banging on my door telling me to get ready. I jump in the shower to make sure I look presentable for the first day of training. I decide to use the button on the shower for a sweet vanilla scent. I would be lying if I said I hadn't snuck into the Acadamy's showers back home every now and then. Once I get out of the shower, I put my hair into a fishtail braid and slip on the training uniform that Katherine must have placed on my bed.

You have got to be kidding me.

This thing is skin tight. I may as well be walking around killing people in my underwear. I walk out into the dining room to eat my breakfast only to be redirected towards the elevator. I try to ask what the hell is going on but I'm interrupted my Katherine, once again.

"You took too long! Riley has been down in the training room for fifteen minutes. Fifteen!" she practically screeches. I hear her say something about me not having an manners and how Riley is a model tribute, but I tune her out once again. I think I'm getting pretty good at it if I do say so myself.

Soon, I'm literally pushed into the training room. The huge doors behind me slam shut loudly, and everybody turns their heads to look at me. I see Districts One and Two, who have already seemed to form an alliance, smirking in my direction. The rest of the tributes just look bored. The head trainer, Adelina, comes towards me. "Name?" she asks harshly. I guess I kept them waiting. "L-Lila," I stutter, "Lila Odair."

"Well, Miss Odair. You already missed out on the informational part of the day, but I'm sure someone can fill you in," then she turns back to the other tributes, "You may train now," she states formally. "You as well. Go."

I walk away from her to go somewhere when I realize that I know next to nothing about weapons. That could be a problem. I've gone into the training room a few nights after everyone else has gone home. I've tried knives and spears. My aim isn't amazing, but I can throw farther than most girls I've seen. I turn to go over to one of the stations when I see Clove at the knife station and Marvel at the spears station. I don't want to make enemies on the first day. I look over my shoulder to see Rue over at the knot-tying station.

_Don't go over there. She could be baggage in the arena_, the logical part of my head screams.

For once I don't listen to the logical part and just act on a whim. "What kind of knot is that?" I ask from behind her shoulder. She visibly jumps a bit, but calms down when she turns around to see me smiling. "It's a, um, I'm really not sure," she says with a small sad smile on her face. "It's okay," I walk over next to her, "I'm terrible at tying knots too." I whisper as if we're telling secrets, "It's worse in my case though, being from the district that makes fishing nets." She laughs, and that's when I realize that there is no way in the world that I could kill her. Once again, I ignore my logic.

"Hey Rue, do you want to help each other in the games?" She looks a bit shocked, but I see her nod. "Okay, well what do you know how to do?" I ask.

* * *

Two hours later Rue and I are sitting at our own small table in the corner of the lunch room. I learned that she's great with plants, slingshots, and climbing. I've already become attached, so I pray that either I'll die before her, or she won't die at my hands. Twelve year olds shouldn't be forced to end a life that they haven't even started yet. Then again, I'm not one to talk. I've never had many close friends or even a boyfriend. Hell, I haven't ever even kissed anyone. I haven't lived much either.

I stare down at my plate which was full just minutes earlier to see that it has been almost licked clean. I wish that Katherine hadn't been such a bitch and let me to at least eat breakfast. I sigh and tell Rue that I'll be right back. I'm walking over to the cart full of food when I bump into a wall. I know I'm not the most coordinated person in the world, but a wall is a whole new level. I laugh at myself until I look up and realize that I ran into a person, not a wall. Only I could run into probably the most threatening of the tributes and laugh about it.

Would it be weird if I said that I've always had a thing for eyes? They've always been a weak spot. Cato's are like a pool of blue – bright blue. His face isn't bad up close either…

"Ehem." He says while raising an eyebrow. This time, I try to contain my blush, to no avail, of course.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry." I say as I rush past him towards the food again. I stock up on the bread and the pasta before I head back to Rue. "What was that all about?" she asks curiously. "Nothing," rushes out of my mouth like Niagra falls. That must be _very_ convincing. "Nothing, hm? Your pink cheeks say otherwise. I'll go back to training so you can finish stuffing your face," she adds at the end to make me laugh.

After Rue leaves, I look around to see that the room is almost empty. I see it's just me, One and Two left. Three awkwardly silent minutes later, they leave to go. At least I think they're leaving until I hear, "You guys go on. I'll be there soon," come from a certain wall of a boy.

_Shit._

"So, Ice Princess, huh?" he says as he pulls out and straddles the chair next to me, "Were you really in such a rush that you had to run me over earlier?" He has a crooked smile on his face that looks different from the usual smirk, but still pretty similar.

_Hello, earth to Lila. Say something, dumbass._

"I was hungry," I say plainly while holding up a roll to back up my point. I guess he was looking for a better answer because he takes the roll from me and stuffs it in his mouth. I almost laugh at his chipmunk like cheeks but the anger in me over the roll wins out. "What the fuck was that about?" I yell. What can I say, I'm a girl who takes her food very seriously. My anger only seems to egg him on because he responds with a 'what are you going to do about it' smile. I decide that I'm not playing his little game and get up. I make sure to slam my chair into the table and bump into his, but before I can make my way out the door, I'm stopped by his voice.

"So Ice Princess, do I get to know your name or what?" I turn around with the sweetest smile I can use and reply "I'd rather you not."

That's when I hear him say, "Well if you want any chance to be in the alliance, you might as well tell me now."

He's not serious, right?

_He's messing with your head._

What if he isn't though? If I were in the Career alliance, I'd be under a lot less pressure, but what about Rue? I already made a commitment to her, but there's no way they'd let her in there. They would kill her the first chance they got. It's not like I have any skills anyway. I turn around to see he's followed me and is standing within an arm's distance. I look up at his face and ask "What?" which is quickly followed by his "You heard me."

"But why would you want me? I can't do anything really."

Why did I say that? Now he probably thinks I'm weaker than he already did. "Because of reasons. One," he sticks up his pointer finger, "you're from Four which means you are from one of the Career districts anyway. Two," up goes the next, "Glimmer found her way into our group somehow. You can't be worse than her. And three," the index finger joins the others, "You made quite an entrance and the Tribute Parade. That means you probably got a lot of sponsors. Is that enough reasons for you?" he puts his hands back across his chest that causes my eyes to linger there.

_Damn that tight fabric._

"Look, it would take some convincing to all of us, including me, to get you to join. I'm just saying that it's an option," he holds his hands up as if to surrender. Do I look offended or am I just boring him and he wants the conversation to be over? I guess it's the second option so I say, "It's Lila," and leave Cato standing there as I walk back into the training room.

* * *

**Yes, Lila, ****_DAMN_**** that tight fabric. There should be more interaction along with some****_ flirting _****in the chapters to come. Sorry if it ended weirdly. I wasn't sure how to end this chapter. **

**To that one guest reviewer on the last chapter - yes I know that Clove is 14/15. Clato is my OTP though, so I figured if the age difference was larger, I wouldn't feel like I wanted them to be together in this story. Haha. Thank you for reviewing, though! **

**I love reviews almost as much as I love cookies. That's a lot, so you should send them. (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**This is more of a filler chapter because I had to rewrite it after my laptop deleted it. I promise that I'll make up for it next chapter!**

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It's halfway through the second day of training and I'm starting to get a bit pissed at the fact that I have only worked with plants and rope. Rue and I are sitting down at lunch again. Today the room is extremely loud, so I decide it's time to tell Rue of the plan I devised last night while I couldn't sleep.

My thought was to go ahead and try to get into the alliance. I'd try to keep her safe during the bloodbath then keep her nearby afterwards. If they decide to do what past Careers have done, I could easily sneak off during my shift of watching to go check on Rue. If I'm lucky, I could also sneak some food or supplies away without them noticing. The plan is risky, but even if I end up dead, it's worth a shot.

After I explain this to Rue in whispers, she seems to be on edge, but agrees anyway. Now, I just have to figure out how to get in with the Careers. Last night, I talked with Talia and Finnick about my conversation with Cato.

_**The night before -**_

"Riley tells me that he saw you and the boy from District Two talking today. What did he want?" Talia asks in between bites of the Lamb Stew they ordered for our dinner. Being vegetarian, I ended up getting a salad and I'll probably eat some cereal later. I'm not sure how I feel about Riley spying on my conversations especially since I didn't even know that anyone was watching us. My senses obviously need to be sharpened before the games.

"Oh nothing really," I send Riley a glare. He has a smug look on his face with a smirk. I come to the conclusion that he looks nowhere near as attractive as Cato when he's smirking. I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Riley saying, "Nothing? If it were nothing, would you be blushing right now? Aw. Look who has a crush," he looks rather impressed with himself as he leans back in his chair. "Lila, is there something you want to tell us?" Katherine inquires much like a mother would. They don't know that my blushing was completely unrelated to the topic at hand, but me arguing about it would probably make it worse.

"It's not what you think, okay? He started talking to me after lunch and I guess he wants me in the alliance," I shrug as if it's an everyday thing. "He wants you in the alliance?" Riley seems angry, "Why the fuck would he want you in the alli –" he starts but is cut off with Katherine's stern, "Language, Riley! Language."

Apparently, Cato didn't invite him into the alliance. "Why would he invite you into the alliance," Finnick points at me then Riley, "but not you?"

"I don't know why. She can't do anything except sit over with her little wimp of a friend from Eleven and look at berries all day! At least I know how to work with some weapons!" comes from my jealous district partner's mouth.

"So, Lila. What did you tell him?" Finnick asks, waving off Riley's ranting. That kid is starting to annoy me. "I told him that I can't really do anything, but I'd try to pick up some more skills," I reply before dismissing myself so I can get away from the annoyance on my right.

_**Present -**_

Rue and I go back to the plant station after lunch. I don't know how much longer I can stand looking at these things. I wouldn't be surprised if I could name most of them in my sleep by now. I look around the room and see that the archery station is empty. "Hey Rue, I'll be back later. I'm going to try something else," I mutter quietly while walking towards the station in the corner. I hear her small okay from behind me.

Finnick visited me later last night and told me that getting into the career alliance was my best bet at survival. He said that I just needed to learn something. If I had no weapon skills, I'd have no chance.

This bow in front of me is similar to the ones we have back home. I think this one is fancier though. I timidly pick it up and look around for a trainer of some kind. He's nowhere to be found, but I shakily load the arrow anyway. I take a deep breath, aim and shoot. I look at the target to see that the arrow is nowhere near it, but instead lodged in the wall near the District 3 boy's head. He's looking at it with huge eyes. I barely missed him by a few centimeters.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean," I start. Instead of accepting my apology, he gives me a look that I can't quite decipher and goes to the other side of the room. If someone almost killed me, I'd be bitter too. At least I apologized. I'm sure half the assholes here wouldn't have. Well, at least I know that I can strike archery off my list of possibilities. I turn around, hopeful that nobody else saw my little mishap. Of course, nothing ever goes my way. As I look around the room, I see Cato smirking at me once again. What is with that boy and his stupid smirking? It makes him seem more arrogant than he normally would.

_Arrogance is equal to stupidity, remember? He's just trying to get into your head._

Surprisingly, I don't feel my cheeks heat up. I try my best to avoid eye contact as I walk what would be known as a walk of shame back to Rue. "So," she tries to stifle a laugh, "how'd that go?" She looks up at me still trying to hold it back when we both burst into laughter. "Okay! Okay! So maybe archery is not my thing. Did anyone else see?" I ask, hopeful. "Not that I know of. Well, unless you count Cato or the kid you scarred for life," she answers with the same grin plastered on her face, "There goes my chance of getting into the alliance," I say with a shrug. Rue looks over my shoulder and mumbles a, "Maybe not."

I turn to see Cato walking towards me. If I were like any girls back home or if we were in a different situation, I'd probably be frantically asking Rue if my hair looked alright or if my eyeliner was smudged. However, now is not the time. I was going to try to play it cool, but all that goes down the drain when a squeaky, "Hi," escapes my mouth.

He chuckles a bit and mocks me with his own, "Hi." Rue seems to feel uncomfortable and leaves without saying anything. "Why are you chatting it up with Eleven?" he gestures back towards the small figure. "Oh, her? She just looked lonely," I say as I silently pray my acting lessons at age nine paid off, "Plus, it's not like I can really be doing anything else besides looking at plants." I decide to change the subject as quickly as possible.

This makes him actually smile - not a smirk or even a cocky grin. It was an actual smile. I like his smile. He should do it more often. It gives me a little push to continue the conversation. "Don't give me that look. It's not my fault! He clearly should have seen me at the station and fled to put at least ten miles between us," I shrug. The smile is still there which makes it harder to keep the corners of my own mouth from turning up.

"Yeah, I'm sure that would be my first thought. Run in terror of the hundred pound girl with an -," I cut him off with a brave, yet playful, smack on the arm, "I'm a hundred and two. Thank you very much," I state defiantly. Normal people probably wouldn't have ever smacked Cato. I can see something in his eyes, but it fades as fast as it came. He looks back at me to see me standing in front of him with my arms crossed and rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Back onto the issue at hand. You know, I talked with the others last night about you. If you keep up what you did over there," he points to where my arrow is still lodged into the wall, "I'm going to be humiliated. What are you okay with weapon wise?"

At this point, I'm not sure if I should lie or just flat out run away. "As far as I know, I have no talent whatsoever," I say plainly. This makes him let out a frustrated sigh as he runs his fingertips through his hair. I'm surprised that he's not getting pissed off. "Alright. Meet me here after training today," he says it as if I have no choice in the matter and walks away before I can question it.

* * *

"Why the hell can't I go?" I yell across the room to Finnick. He seems to have his mind set on me not going to the training room with Cato tonight. "Because," he says with a tone that I could easily remember my mother using. "Because isn't an answer, Finnick!" I throw my hands up, "I just want to learn how to use a weapon. He could teach me. It could help me live!" I draw out the last part. He looks as though he's thinking but his expression changes back. Before I can even hear him say no, I look over to Talia who seems to have conveniently found an interesting article of some sort on her tablet.

With all hope gone, I rush back to my room where I slam the door and bury my face in my pillows like most teenagers have at one point or another. I don't care if you're not supposed to be down in the training room. They can't punish me anymore than they already have. I don't like this version of Finnick. He's protective and demanding. I guess it's because he feels responsible for me now. If he were really being responsible, he'd let me go train! Cato is a killer. Everybody knows he is, but he seems to be going through a lot of crap trying to get me into the alliance. Why, I'm not sure. I'll take what I can get anyway. I don't even want to think about how angry he's going to be once he sees me not there tonight. Finnick may have just signed my death certificate.

I get up and walk into the bathroom to take a shower. Showers have always calmed me down. Before Mom died, I would take hour long showers to just stand under the warm water. I go for the vanilla scented shower gel once again and let the water run down my back. I would shave my legs too, but I guess the avoxs were afraid to put anything sharp near the tributes.

I get out of the shower to realize that I was only in there for about 45 minutes. At least I was calmer now. I wring out my hair and let it fall on my shoulders before wrapping a towel around my body. Then, I take a moment to inspect myself in the mirror. My eyes are slightly red from what I'm guessing were angry tears from earlier. I put on a small amount of mascara on which helps some and walk out the bathroom door. I close it behind me and turn back towards my room.

"Holy shit!" I scream as I fall against the wall after jumping. I make sure to keep my towel around me tightly so the blonde boy sitting on my bed doesn't see any more than he already has.

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**Well wasn't that just majorly predictable? The next chapter is my favorite so far. (;**

**Any ideas as to what's going to happen next chapter? Also, for the next few chapters, would you guys rather have more playful Lila/Cato conversations or a deep conversation? Put them in a review (along with criticism or suggestions which are appreciated).**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it took me a lot longer to update. I've been really busy with back to school stuff. Who's excited about that? Not me! Anyway, here's your next chapter. **

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_"Holy shit!" I scream as I fall against the wall after jumping. I make sure to keep my towel around me tightly so the blonde boy sitting on my bed doesn't see any more than he already has._

"Shh!" Cato says before walking over to me, "Do you really want them to hear you?"

"Considering you snuck into my room, I'd rather they had!" I whisper back angrily. "Hey. Calm down, Princess. I didn't come in here to look at you in a towel," he pauses for a moment and adds "Not that I mind," while deliberately letting his eyes travel up my body. I let out a fake laugh with a "You're hilarious. What did you want then?"

"In case you forgot, we had plans later," he says. "Correction, we had an agreement later," I interrupt expecting him to wave me off. "If it were an agreement, something would be in it for me, which there isn't," he points out. "Whatever. Anyway, I'm not allowed out. If I were, I'd have gone down there to meet you. I don't have a death wish," I state.

"Why aren't you?" he raises an eyebrow. "Finnick," I reply in a bored tone. "Aw. Is he worried about you? Can't have you hanging out with any boys alone, right?"

Now, I realize that he's seriously invading my personal bubble.

_Focus, Lila._

That's when his left hand goes onto my waist and I'm quickly pulled up and closer until we have less than an inch between our faces. As I try to ignore how hot his fingers are and how only the thin fabric separates them from me, the sudden movement makes the towel get loose around the top. He puts me back to my original spot and moves his hand from my waist to the top of the towel. His fingers go under the lining of it to the point where he's not touching me terribly inappropriately but stiff makes me stiffen. He tightens the towel before removing his finger from the edge of it.

Cato continues, completely ignoring how uncomfortable I'm feeling, and says, "Better keep your towel up, girly. Wouldn't want to add any other things for your mentors to complain about, would we?" He winks at me before going back to stand next to the bed.

I'm too shocked to say anything. I'm probably standing there looking like an idiot with eyes bigger than all of Panem, but right now I could care less. There was no point for him to do that. Why would he?

_The question is, why does your stomach feel weird._

I'm preparing to start screaming for somebody - after yelling at him of course - but am interrupted by him once again.

"So, are you coming or not," he asks with an eyebrow raised. "What part of 'I can't go' don't you understand?" I hiss. This makes his face turn into another smirk as he looks me in the eye and says, "Oh, I get it. The little goody two shoes princess is afraid of a little rule breaking."

That's it.

I stomp over to him and give him my most intimidating look. "I'm not afraid," I pause for a moment but spit out defiantly, "And I'm definitely not some goody two shoes princess." My outburst seems to be no surprise to him as he steps so close that I can feel his hot breath on my face and he replies with an intimidating, "Prove it."

I turn away from him and somehow quietly stomp over to my dresser where I find a pair of skinny jeans, a pair of underwear and a black tank top. I turn to walk to the dresser opposite of that one where I keep my bras. Then, I hear a cough and turn to see Cato with a smug look on his face. My eyes travel to his hands as he says, "Wouldn't want to forget this, now would we?" and holds up one of my bras.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

I would yell at him, but that would kind of ruin the whole 'sneaking out' thing. He seems to know this as his smirk grows. I walk towards him and snatch the black lacy push up bra that Katherine placed in my drawer but I never intended on wearing. I don't turn back to look at him before closing the bathroom door and locking it for good measure.

I strip myself of my towel and pull on my jeans without much struggle. The tank top is rather tight with the stupid bra, but there is no way I'm going to walk back there half dressed.

Remind me to kill Katherine later.

I grab the makeup bag Becca let me hold on to and decide to put some on. I tell myself that it's for me, but I know I'm in denial. I wipe off the mascara from earlier to start with a clean face before applying a thin line of eyeliner above my eyes.

I used to always be told that my eyes were gorgeous. They are usually a light blue with a small green rim around my pupil. Sometimes the color varies depending on makeup and lighting. My fingers scan through the small bag and land on foundation, but I decide against it as my skin tone is even and I've never been one to sport freckles or blemishes.

Then I put on a bit of eye shadow and lip gloss and then start with my hair that is now mostly dry. I know that I don't have time to curl it, so I brush it until the brown strands are shiny and tangle free. Now, it falls and stops at the bottom of my ribs again.

I pop my lips and look at my reflection in the mirror. I look like I'm somewhere between going to school or going on a date. My face says date, yet my clothes say casual. I wish that they would scream casual, but they can't due to the bra. I never want to wear one like this again, I decide, ignoring how much it actually helps my small, B cup figure.

After making sure I was satisfied with myself I open the door to reveal Cato. I note that he is standing in the exact same spot, so he hasn't moved. I don't have to look to see him staring at me with wide eyes, but I do anyway.

I guess two can play this mind game thing, huh?

He quickly shakes his head and asks if I'm finally ready. I reply with a _yup_ and he gestures for me to lead the way. I catch my mind thinking _hopefully I don't look too bad from behind _before I can stop myself.

I also used to be told that I had a 'model walk' when I was semi popular at school. They all supposed that I thought I was better than everyone else when it was just how my walk has always been. I blame my mother, really. I was taught how to walk in heels rather early in life. I just hope that the model walk of mine doesn't look stupid and I don't fall.

I finally make it to the elevator silently with Cato in toe. He's surprisingly quiet for somebody his size. It was probably a part of his training. I can be really uncoordinated though at times, so I'm just grateful for the fact that I didn't trip over air. I step inside and press the button labeled with the letters _TR_. Cato stands in the corner of the elevator opposite to me and seems to be very interested in the wall.

After the short trip, I'm about to step out of the elevator, but I get stopped by Cato's hand holding out for me to stop. He gets in front of me, then gestures for me to follow him. I guess the coast is clear of peacekeepers because he keeps walking.

He turns around to face me and inquires where I want to go first. "Uh, I'm not sure," I pause to think, "Maybe knives?" He follows me to the knife station but I hear him say, "At least you didn't pick archery," I send him a glare but it's hard not to crack a smile, especially with him standing there laughing at his own joke. I pick up one of the knives and ask him what I'm supposed to do.

"Just start throwing some towards the target," he says. I look towards the target that sits about ten feet away. There is no way that I'm hitting that bulls eye. If I'm lucky, I might be able to get close. I take a deep breath and send the knife flying towards the target. Surprisingly, it actually hits somewhere on the target. It was off the bulls eye by about an inch and a half. I look towards Cato for approval and he simply nods his head but asks, "Is that the first time you've thrown a knife?"

"No, I've thrown them a few times back at the training center after everybody went home. I've never been good though, so this is kinda an accomplishment," I let out a sad excuse for a laugh. He sends me a questioning look. I figure it's because I said that I had been at the training center. I just shake my head. He gets that I don't want to talk about it and drops it. He changes the subject, "Do it again. You need practice."

A few minutes later, I'm standing in front of the target that has one of my knives in it. I'd thrown about 20 knives so far tonight, but this one hit dead center. I'm shocked and it takes everything I have not to jump up and down with delight. The only thing that gets through is the huge smile that overtakes my face. Cato comes over to stand by me. His eyes travel between my face and the bulls eye. "Not bad, Princess. Not bad," he says with a smirk, "Don't get too cocky though. Try again."

I take the knife out of the target and head back to where I was standing originally. Cato steps away from the target and I throw it again. It lands with a bulls eye again. This time, I don't even attempt to contain my excitement and before I can stop myself I hear a squeal. I know it didn't come out of Cato's mouth, so I guess it was me. He's off to the side grinning at me again, "Okay, calm down. What next?" he asks.

I just shrug and he suggests spears. I don't miss the smirk on his face as he turns to walk over to the station. I follow him to stand next to the spear. It looks huge. I'm not sure if my small amount of muscle can handle throwing it, but I can usually surprise myself. "Ready?" Cato steps back a bit. "Yeah," I manage to get out before picking up the large weapon. I pivot towards the target and throw. It doesn't even come close to hitting. I'm proud of myself for how far I threw it though.

I hear laughing from a few feet away, "What was that?" he asks in his usual arrogant tone. My eyes find the floor in embarrassment. "Hey, don't feel that bad. You're just not focusing properly," he comes to stand next to me after going to retrieve the spear. "Here," he says and puts it into my hands. I get ready to aim and he stops me.

"You're not even standing right, now," Cato says, frustrated. I have a feeling that I know where this is going even before he walks over to stand right behind me. He leans down and grabs my right leg. He stands back up after pushing it forward a few centimeters. Then, he stands up and places his hand over mine around the spear. I try to push aside the feeling I just got, but it's impossible when he moves his other hand onto my hip.

He seems to sense my uneasiness, which only makes him step closer. Now, I know that my face is bright red. It doesn't help that I can feel his chest starting to push into my back. He's so toned that it's unbelievable. My mind starts to wonder off.

_You're supposed to be focusing on training. You know, life or death kind of thing here._

I can feel his breath on my neck before he moves his mouth up to my ear and says "You know, you're blushing again, Lila." I can feel him smirk on my ear. I realize that he finally used my real name instead of the usual _Princess_. We just stand there for a moment in silence. I know that he's trying to get inside of my head. He has pretty easily. I'm just not sure how long he's going to be able to stay there. I always find my mind talking itself out of liking guys. Guarding your heart is the best option if you want to keep it in tact - especially if the guy is probably going to end up killing you.

I'm snapped back into reality by Cato's hand slowly sliding off my hip and off my hand. His lips are still on my ear when he huskily commands, "Throw." I bring my arm back, breathe, and throw. I close my eyes before looking at the target. When I open them, I'm staring at a bulls eye once again. He's still standing behind me when I turn around with an sound that sounds like an _Eeep_ and fling my arms around his neck. "Thank you so so _so_ much," I say. I let go of him before he has a chance to respond and he just looks at me. He had obviously been caught off-gaurd. "Are you going to do that after I do everything or what?" He raises both eyebrows this time. I calm down and mutter, "Sorry," and he responds with an unexpected, "Don't be."

"We should go back to our rooms before they kill us both," I suggest and turn to walk towards the elevator. He follows me without saying a word and I press the 4 button before hitting the one labeled 2. I notice that Cato is standing a lot closer than he was on the short ride to the Training Room. In fact, our arms are touching. He's always so warm.

_Shut up._

I look up at his face to see him already looking back at me. I break the eye contact first, and neither of us says a word all the way back to my floor. When the doors open after the ding, I start to walk out but get stopped when he says, "Goodnight, Lila," with a slight smile. I return the smile with a reply, "Night, Cato," then I walk out the doors and towards my bedroom.

I'm so screwed.

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**That was... eventful? I guess we'll see how long it takes Lila to talk herself out of this one.**

**I originally had a different plan for this chapter, but I'll move that scene to later in the story. Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner next time.**

**Tell me what you thought in a review, please! (:**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning I wake up with a surprisingly good night's sleep. I only woke up once after I died once again. This time I was walking with that Glimmer girl and I got a stabbed in the back – literally. After that, I fell back to sleep quickly. I decide to go out to eat breakfast before getting dressed, no matter how much it will displease Katherine.

I sit down at the table next to Riley and notice that we're the only ones in the room so far. He breaks the silence first. "So, what were you doing out so late?" I give him a questioning look and he elaborates more, "I heard the elevator," he shrugs. I know that there's no point in lying, "I went down to the training center," I say.

"With District Two," he says as more of a statement than a question. I just nod and hope that he'll drop the conversation. He does but then changes the topic. Does this boy not see that I just want to eat these delicious pancakes in peace? "What were you screaming about last night?" he asks. Crap. I haven't screamed much in my sleep lately, but I guess that it would make sense for me to start it again considering I'll have to be silent in the arena. Why does everything have to be so complicated?

"Oh, I, uh," I stutter, "I have nightmares," he nods and finally drops all conversation. That's when the rest of the crew walks in. Talia sits down opposite of me and starts a new conversation, "Are you guys ready for the last full day of training?" This causes me to shrug and Riley to look eager as he nods again. Finnick looks at my now empty plate and laughs, "How many pancakes have you eaten?"

"I think 4 - maybe 5? I don't really know. I'm just hungry. Don't judge me," I say and stick my tongue out at him for good measure. "Watch out, Tal, looks like we might just have to roll her into that arena," Finnick responds playfully. I try not to smile and turn it into a glare when I say, "I think I heard judgment in that sentence. What did I say about that?" My glare causes all of us – including Riley – to start a fit of laughter except for Katherine.

"Alright, enough funny business," she says with her eyes glued to her clipboard, "Today you train for as long as you feel like it," she looks at Riley and me, "Tomorrow, you have the opportunity to train until lunch, then you'll be called one by one to be evaluated by the game makers. Are we clear?" I chug the rest of my glass of milk and stand up, "Crystal," I say as I leave the room without being excused.

I go back to my room where I slip into the usual skin tight torture device that is a sorry excuse for clothes. Then I pick up a sock, rip the end open and put my hair up into my favorite kind of bun. The sock bun sits on top of my head and I adjust it until I'm satisfied. Then I grab my shoes and lace them quickly before heading for the door.

I meet with the whole crew outside the elevator. They seem bored, so I'm guessing I made them wait for longer than I should have. I make a point to only apologize to Talia and Finnick which earns me glares from my fellow tribute and our beloved escort. Then I'm being pushed inside and listening to the ding of the doors opening again soon enough. Finnick suggests working on weapons and glances at me. The look in his eyes suggests that he knows something. I know it's true when he holds me back from walking out the doors and whispers, "We'll talk about your night later, okay?"

The training center is much louder than usual. I figure it's because everyone has already started their training. I decide to go talk to Rue who is over in the corner working with what I think is a slingshot. I didn't even know they had that station, but leave it to Rue to find one. "Hey shortie!" I say once I get right behind her. She jumps but starts laughing with a fake glare when she sees me. "Oh my gosh. Don't do that, Lila!" she says between breaths. "I would say I was sorry, but I'm not," I say with a wink before I switch into a serious tone, "Okay, I got some help from Cato last night. If everything works right, our plan should work."

"Are you serious? When did – he – what?" she's confused. "Cato asked me if I needed help so I wouldn't make him look bad. I really don't know what got into him," I shrug. "Unless he likes you," now it's her turn to wink, except she looks completely serious. "Nah. He just has too much of an ego to let the other Careers think he was wrong," I reply

Our conversation about the District Two boy ends there, but I watch Rue with her slingshot. She has amazing precision with such a small weapon – if you'd even call it that. However, I know it'd be no match for a sword or a spear in the arena. I see the boy from Twelve, Rye, walking over past us. I know I shouldn't talk to him, but I ignore myself again when I say, "Hi."

He gives me a slight nod at this but keeps on walking anyway. I awkwardly try to act like I never said anything. People really aren't my forte. When I turn back to Rue, she's still messing with that darn slingshot.

I shake my head and look around the room. Glimmer is over at the bow and arrows. She seems to be doing almost as badly as I did. At least she hit the edge of the target. She seems so stupid. I just don't understand why she would have volunteered. Sure, she's got a pretty face and a body that even I have to admit is to die for, but what happens in the arena when she's separate from all that superficial stuff? I'm curious what makes her tick because for all I know, she could be a vicious killing machine. Something like that worked for a girl from District Seven a few years back. I think her name was Johanna, but she was amazing with an axe.

I look away from the bobble-head blonde to continue scanning the room. I don't make it very far before I have to try hard not to scream from surprise when somebody taps my shoulder.

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**So sorry for taking forever to update! High School is hell already. This is just an extremely short filler chapter too that ends with a cliffhanger. I'm a terrible person. I have half of the next chapter done already, and I'll probably finish it tonight so make sure to check back sometime this week/weekend! Anyway, thank you guys so much for following/favoriting/reviewing. It means the world to me, so please keep doing it!**


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